Tour de France 2023 Tour de France, Stage 1: Bilbao - Bilbao, 182 km (Spain, Saturday, July 1)

[Andy schleck]

I dont think anyone mentioned Kelderman ??? But you use him to undermine my point on A Yates
Why cant Yates be co leader until such time as he isnt ...He can climb very well and maybe a good foil; for Jumbo if Vinge is proving too hard to crack

No one said Pog and Vinge are not top dogs but one has to be inventive to break Jumbo Visma

I mentioned kelderman because i think he is on the same level of adam yates in terms of GC Tours.

Ok. Adam yates is a co leader until he loses a lot of time to vingegaard and pogacar in the first real mountain stage. Emirates can't do the 2 vs 1 with yates against Vingegaard.

 

[KZD]

Guys, guys, guys. During the race I posted about De Cauwer saying that Vingegaard should have worked for Van Aert. Well, it gets worse:

ANALYSE NA AANKOMST. Michel Wuyts ziet gemiste kans: “Vingegaard vertikte het om over te nemen voor Van Aert, ik snap dat niet”

<a href="https://www.hln.be/tour-de-france/droomstart-voor-team-uae-adam-yates-wint-tweelinggevecht-en-pakt-eerste-ritzege-in-tour-de-france-van-aert-pas-elfde~a1c27b9b/" target="_blank">Adam Yates heeft het tweelinggevecht om de eerste gele trui gewonnen</a>. <a...

www.hln.be

This isn't in the heat of the moment, this isn't right after the finish. This is AT LEAST an hour after the race.

Van Aert didn't even had the strength to fight for the third place and Vingegård is the team leader, what are these guys smoking?

 

[Mayomaniac]

I'm really struggling with the Bahrain jerseys.

Thank god, at least I'm not the only one who has a hard time keeping up with all the new jersey's for the Tour!

 

[Lequack]

Richard Carapaz after his medical check

https://twitter.com/x/status/1675182621641388032

View: https://twitter.com/Copedaleando/status/1675182621641388032

 

[Krzysztof_O]

I mentioned kelderman because i think he is on the same level of adam yates in terms of GC Tours.

Ok. Adam yates is a co leader until he loses a lot of time to vingegaard and pogacar in the first real mountain stage. Emirates can't do the 2 vs 1 with yates against Vingegaard.

They can during the first big mountain stage if Yates goes for a suicidal attack (kinda like Roglic last year) forcing Vingegaard to chase. I agree that it will probably be too late after Vinge drops his watt bomb.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Van Aert didn't even had the strength to fight for the third place and Vingegård is the team leader, what are these guys smoking?

They are from a nation where every commentator and pundit has either lost the ability to separate chauvinism from reality, or is too scared of upsetting Van Aert and (especially) Evenepoel fans by saying anything remotely negative/critical about either. Been quite the fall from grace for a number of people who used to be really insightful.

 

[Pantani_lives]

I think Jumbo didn't chase because they didn't want Pogacar to win the stage.

 

[Red Rick]

They are from a nation where every commentator and pundit has either lost the ability to separate chauvinism from reality, or is too scared of upsetting Van Aert and (especially) Evenepoel fans by saying anything remotely negative/critical about either. Been quite the fall from grace for a number of people who used to be really insightful.

I don't even know when it happened.

Maybe it started once the meme days started being over and they actually got good riders outside of the cobbled classics. But I literally only watch the Belgian when they lose these days.

 

[armchairclimber]

My outsider pick for today was Lafay. I did though expect him to get out in the break and try something. Very impressed with his showing on Pike. Mrs Armchairclimber wii be very happy, when she stops snoring.

edit: To be fair, so will I.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

I don't even know when it happened.

Maybe it started once the meme days started being over and they actually got good riders outside of the cobbled classics. But I literally only watch the Belgian when they lose these days.

It coincides entirely with the rise of Van Aert and Evenepoel. Perhaps more to do with their obsession with the latter considering that Van Aert is not game changing compared to what they had the past few decades.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

Surely they didn't make Matteo Jorgenson, their best GC rider this year, wait for a clearly done-for Mas, causing him to lose 2 minutes 30. I must be hearing that wrong, sackable offence and banishment from the sport if true.

I didn't see him wait. If he stopped he quite quickly must've moved on.
The other riders that was around Jorgenson or the groups up to a couple of minutes behind him at the finish where with the front group when entering Pike, so I assume Jorgenson was also there and simply got dropped.
If he missed the big group over the top it makes sense he lost a lot of time on the final 10 kilometers.

 

[Andy schleck]

They can during the first big mountain stage if Yates goes for a suicidal attack (kinda like Roglic last year) forcing Vingegaard to chase. I agree that it will probably be too late after Vinge drops his watt bomb.

Jumbo visma can neutralize that suicidal attack from yates.

Jumbo/Vingegaard just have the plan A for this Tour, and it's very simple.

Minimize the losses of bonifications to pogacar. Neutralize pogacar on this type of stages. They did that today. Probably Vingegaard will go the mountains stages with just 10/20 s to pogacar. Last year he was going to granon with 39 of disadvantadge to pogacar.

Then, on the hard mountains stages, they will pick 2 or 3 good stages with long climbs, make the race hard, and then vingegaard will attack and try to drop pogacar. It's the same type tiphycal GC rider aproacch like armstrong or froome used to do.

If vingegaard drops pogacar on that climbs, he will win the tour, if not pogacar will win the tour without the need to attack.

 

[DNP-Old]

I think it has more to do with just age. Wuyts and De Cauwer are old as dirt and are just abysmal all across the board. They don't recognise anyone, they can't read situations. They've always had this chauvinistic side, and I think that's normal for any commentator (though they've really taken a bad turn here recently). Remember Herbert loudly asking himself where Gesink was every five to ten seconds? Better yet, remember Boonen getting dropped by Fabu on De Muur? Or Van Poppel demanding Pauwels wait for Sastre, oh my lord.

If VRT were ever to properly evaluate their team, they'd have to fire everyone, and I am not exaggerating. Carl Berteele, Renaat Schotte, Sven Nys, Ruben Vangught. They are all pathetic

 

[DNP-Old]

By the way, for those who don't know the Serge Pauwels situation, a quick summary. It is the Giro d'Italia 2009. Serge Pauwels and Carlos Sastre were on Cervelo, led by Jean-Paul van Poppel. I can't remember which exact stage it was, but Sastre was having that mythical third week where he won stages left, right and center. On one of the stages Pauwels was in the break and pretty much had the win in the bag. However, Jean-Paul van Poppel demanded he wait for Sastre, and he did. Renaat and Jose were so livid with this decision that they had Andre Meganck, who was like the third wheel of the show, he presents them live info about the race that isn't seen on television, call Van Poppel during the race and demand an explanation for his decision.

It was one of the most bizarre yet beautiful things I have ever seen.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

By the way, for those who don't know the Serge Pauwels situation, a quick summary. It is the Giro d'Italia 2009. Serge Pauwels and Carlos Sastre were on Cervelo, led by Jean-Paul van Poppel. I can't remember which exact stage it was, but Sastre was having that mythical third week where he won stages left, right and center. On one of the stages Pauwels was in the break and pretty much had the win in the bag. However, Jean-Paul van Poppel demanded he wait for Sastre, and he did. Renaat and Jose were so livid with this decision that they had Andre Meganck, who was like the third wheel of the show, he presents them live info about the race that isn't seen on television, call Van Poppel during the race and demand an explanation for his decision.

It was one of the most bizarre yet beautiful things I have ever seen.

1-minute highlight version of that one here if you have a VPN, can't find it in full unfortunately.

What makes it even funnier is that multiple Belgian newspapers ran 10-year anniversary articles of that moment. Here's Het Nieuwsblad, for example. Yes, it was one of the more ludicrous team order situations (which sets it apart from the present state of the Belgian media), but you'd think Van Poppel had murdered Pauwels from some reactions. The Belgian who seemed the least upset by it all was... Pauwels himself.

Also, please never bring up Herbert Dijkstra repeating the line 'Waar is Gesink?' hundreds of times (not even exaggerating, Ilmaestro and Masnada, Abi and Roglic and so on seem tame compared to him) per Tour again, I'd thought I'd surpressed all memory of that. The one good thing about Gesink's luck was that his DNFs would shut Herbert up for a bit...

 

[QueenStagiaire]

1-minute highlight version of that one here if you have a VPN, can't find it in full unfortunately.

What makes it even funnier is that multiple Belgian newspapers ran 10-year anniversary articles of that moment. Here's Het Nieuwsblad, for example. Yes, it was one of the more ludicrous team order situations (which sets it apart from the present state of the Belgian media), but you'd think Van Poppel had murdered Pauwels from some reactions. The Belgian who seemed the least upset by it all was... Pauwels himself.

So he was told he didn‘t have to wait after a bit. The funniest part is that he did win the stage in the end after Bertagnolli lost it due to doping, so 10 years later newspapers relive a moment where a rider almost lost a stage due to team tactics.

 

[Riek s]

Guys, guys, guys. During the race I posted about De Cauwer saying that Vingegaard should have worked for Van Aert. Well, it gets worse:

ANALYSE NA AANKOMST. Michel Wuyts ziet gemiste kans: “Vingegaard vertikte het om over te nemen voor Van Aert, ik snap dat niet”

<a href="https://www.hln.be/tour-de-france/droomstart-voor-team-uae-adam-yates-wint-tweelinggevecht-en-pakt-eerste-ritzege-in-tour-de-france-van-aert-pas-elfde~a1c27b9b/" target="_blank">Adam Yates heeft het tweelinggevecht om de eerste gele trui gewonnen</a>. <a...

www.hln.be

This isn't in the heat of the moment, this isn't right after the finish. This is AT LEAST an hour after the race.

yeah, this is rediculous. Don't get how they could say something during the race, seems ike they think this is the Dauphine.

 

[Lequack]

Carapaz also abandons

https://twitter.com/x/status/1675210513444118529

View: https://twitter.com/EFprocycling/status/1675210513444118529

 

[Mayomaniac]

My outsider pick for today was Lafay. I did though expect him to get out in the break and try something. Very impressed with his showing on Pike. Mrs Armchairclimber wii be very happy, when she stops snoring.

edit: To be fair, so will I.

He was really strong, didn't expect that at all.

 

[Big Doopie]

Yes, would be so much better if every GT these days had a stage like this in the opening weekend. Accelerates the whittling process so that the battle for the 3rd podium spot is down to a handful of riders so much earlier. Can have two great races simultaneously with KOM field being that much bigger.

But we don’t want that. We want 10 riders entering the last two stages within 15 seconds of each other. It makes it sooooooooooo exciting!!!!!

 

[DNP-Old]

1-minute highlight version of that one here if you have a VPN, can't find it in full unfortunately.

What makes it even funnier is that multiple Belgian newspapers ran 10-year anniversary articles of that moment. Here's Het Nieuwsblad, for example. Yes, it was one of the more ludicrous team order situations (which sets it apart from the present state of the Belgian media), but you'd think Van Poppel had murdered Pauwels from some reactions. The Belgian who seemed the least upset by it all was... Pauwels himself.

Also, please never bring up Herbert Dijkstra repeating the line 'Waar is Gesink?' hundreds of times (not even exaggerating, Ilmaestro and Masnada, Abi and Roglic and so on seem tame compared to him) per Tour again, I'd thought I'd surpressed all memory of that. The one good thing about Gesink's luck was that his DNFs would shut Herbert up for a bit...

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tfZTJQMM5Q&ab_channel=Verzaad

 

[Red Rick]

1-minute highlight version of that one here if you have a VPN, can't find it in full unfortunately.

What makes it even funnier is that multiple Belgian newspapers ran 10-year anniversary articles of that moment. Here's Het Nieuwsblad, for example. Yes, it was one of the more ludicrous team order situations (which sets it apart from the present state of the Belgian media), but you'd think Van Poppel had murdered Pauwels from some reactions. The Belgian who seemed the least upset by it all was... Pauwels himself.

Also, please never bring up Herbert Dijkstra repeating the line 'Waar is Gesink?' hundreds of times (not even exaggerating, Ilmaestro and Masnada, Abi and Roglic and so on seem tame compared to him) per Tour again, I'd thought I'd surpressed all memory of that. The one good thing about Gesink's luck was that his DNFs would shut Herbert up for a bit...

Dijkstras only quality was mildly annoying Ducrot with his long winded history lessons about any castle in sight or comparisons to speed skating.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

Træen has a small fracture in the elbow after his crash.
He's gonna try continuing and the team doctor says it's "possible, but it will be uncomfortable".

 

[Carols]

I want to object publicly to paying for Peacock but having to suffer through commercials.

Choose the Worldfeed and you won't . They show 2 broadcasts.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Dijkstras only quality was mildly annoying Ducrot with his long winded history lessons about any castle in sight or comparisons to speed skating.

That, and not being Mart Smeets.